Improvement in electric station-indicators for railways



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. I. CONKLI-N, Jr.

ELECTRIC STATION INDICATOR FOR RAILWAYS. No. 190,198. Patented Mayl,1877.

L; I mm- N.PETER8, PHOTO-UTMOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON, D, Q

ZSheets-Sheet 2. 3.1. CONKLIN, Jr.

ELECTRIC STATION INDICATOR FOR RAILWAYS. N0. 190,198. Patented Mayl,1877.

UNITED f JOSEPH I. oonkmmta, OF NEW. YORK, ASSIGNOR To HIMSELF ANDCHARLES A. DRESSER, OF BROOKLYN, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT m ELECTRIC STATION-INDICATORS FOR RAILWAVS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent'No. 1190.198, dated May 1,1877; application filed June2, 1876.

To all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, Jos Pu I. CoNKL1N,Jr.,'

of the city and State of New York, have-invented an Improvement inElectric Station- Indicators for Railways, of which the following is aspecification:

This indicator is made for showing at the railway-station whether thereis any train upon the track at the station, so that the stationmastermay know whether or not the track is clear. 'This is of importance,because in the multiplicity of other duties he may neglect to realizethe approaching train, or to know whether or not it has passed beyondthe next signal-station. This signal is intended to be placed at therailway-station in connection with a signal-box at each side of thestation, say half a mile away. As the approaching train reaches thesignal-box the indicator thereof changes and marks danger the signal atthe station also marks danger, showing that the track is occupied by theapproaching train. A bell is simultaneously rung at thestation. Thesetwo signals remain as aforesaid until the train has left the station andreached the signal-box, say half a mile away, and as it passes thispoint the signal of thatis moved to danger, and the signal at thestation and at the first signal-box are moved back to the normalposition, indicating that the track is clear. I

In the drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a side view, of thestation-indicator, the box being in section; and Fig. 3, a diagram ofthe circuits to'the station-indicator and the signal-boxes.

The electro-magnet a is provided with the armature 1) upon the bentlever 0, and there is a sliding bar, d, that actuates the dangersignaland also opens and closes the circuits.

The arm e closes the circuit between 4 and 5 as the armature isattracted, and simultaneously the arm f opens the circuit between 2 and3. When the bardis allowed to move in the other direction the circuit at2 3 is closed, and at at 5 opened.

In front-of the station-indicator box is a glass plate, g, or otherinclosnre, with suitable lettering, such, for instance, as This stationis, and below there is an opening or .da-ngenfor that the track isoccupied; if this plate h is not visible, the station-indicator showsthe track unoccupied or clear. This plate It should be painted-red.

' v The plate h is upon an arm, 70, and this is pivoted to the slidingbar 01, and the plate l becomes a fulcrum,in which the armkswings,

so that when the armature b is attracted the bar d is moved endwise, theplate h swung down into sight, and the spring-latch 0 on d drops overthe stud n and holds the parts.

At the end of the latch o is jointed the lever-arm r, and there is across-pin, 6, near the upper end. Upon the armature-lever 0 there is anarm, 0, with a forked end, 8, and as the latch 0 drops over the stud athe arm 1" strikes against the horizontal portion of the fork s, and asthe electro-magnet demagnetizes, the armature allows the arm 0 to moveback by the spring 0 and the pin 6 drops into the position shown in Fig.2, so that when the magnet is again changed the fork 8 draws thelever-arm 1', unlatching the bar 61 and allow ing it to move back to thenormal position by the spring d at the same time raising thedanger-signal plate h so thatitis nolonger visible. Themovement of thearmature cause the hammer v to strike the bell -w.

In the diagram, Fig. 3, the station marked B illustrates the instrumentaforesaid, as placed at the depot. The signal-box at one side isindicated at A, and at the other side as at 0. and the instruments inthese signal-boxes are the same as at B, except that a bell is notneeded, and the circuit wires and circuit-closers are differentlypositioned on the diagrams for greater clearnes's, it being understoodthat the circuit-closers are operated by the movement of the bar d.

In the normal position of the instrument at A the circuit-closer 9 isclosed and 8 and 10 open, and in the instrument at B, 2 3 is closed and4 5 open, and instrument at c, 12 is closed and 11 and 13 open.

When the train operates the circuit-closer t the current passes from theline-wire u by 20 through 2 3, operating magnet on thence by wire 11 toA through its magnet to, and by 9 to t. Thus the danger-signals atstation 13 and signal-box A are displayed, and the circuits at 4, 5, 8,and 10 are closed, and 9 and 2 3 opened.

When train passes station a the track-closer w is operated, and thecurrent passes by 21 from line-wire at through magnet 11 at the box 0,thence by 12 to earth, and in so doing the signal at cis changed todanger, and circuits 13 and 11 closed and 12 broken. The current thenpasses instantly from line through 10 and magnet at A by 'v, magnets aat B, thence by 5 4 d: 11 to 'w, and the current passing through themagnets at A and B changes the signals from danger to track clear.

The instrument at A when it is first operated by the train at t closesthe circuit at 8 and opens a connection to the instrument at theprevious station, turning it from red or danger to white or track clear,and, in like manner, when the train has proceeded to the station nextbeyond 0, the signal there is turned red, and at the same time thecurrent is thrown through the magnet to, via 21 and 13, O causing it toturn the signal and show white or track clear at O.

It will be understood that this signal is operated with only two wires,the wire u being the line-battery wire, and the wires 0 a: v thelocal-circuit wires from station to station.

I claim as my invention 1. The signal It upon the lever-arm k, pivotedto the sliding bar b and passing through the fulcrum-plate l, incombination with the armature h, electro magnet a, catch 0, andarmature-lever c 0 substantially as set forth.

2. The signaling-instruments at A B C and circuit-connections, arrangedas specified, in combination with the track-circuit closers at A and O,operated by the passing train, substantially as set forth, whereby thesignals at A and B are operated simultaneously vand remain visible untilthe train reaches 0 and closes a reversing-circuit, as set forth.

Signed by me this 26th day of May, A. D. 1876.

J. I. OONKLIN, JR.

- Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINOKNEY, CHAS. E. SMITH.

